Page:Church and State under the Tudors.djvu/97

 The materials do not appear to exist—certainly have not been brought to light—which might alone enable us to solve it.

The next year, 1534, was even more momentous than its predecessor. More and heavier blows were dealt against the papal authority in this year than in any previous one, and two or three important Acts, which had been already passed, but which by an unusual provision had been left in suspension during the King's pleasure—that is to say, had for all intents and purposes been weapons placed in his hands, to be used by him if milder measures failed and the Pope proved recalcitrant,—were now definitely put in force; so that from this year we may date the complete cessation of the papal power in England.

The most important of the Acts passed were:—

25 Henry VIII. c. 14, an Act imposing some limitation on the power of printing heresy;

25 Henry VIII. c. 19, the Act for the submission of the clergy;

25 Henry VIII. c. 20, restraining payment of annates;

25 Henry VIII. c. 21, restraining payment of Peter'spence, and other exactions of the Pope; and

26 Henry VIII. c. 1, the Supremacy Act, the latter being passed in a second session which commenced in November.

The Act for the submission of the clergy sums up and turns into law at once a great deal of what had formed the subject of the petitions and proceedings of previous sessions of both Parliament and Convocation. Thus, while it stereotyped into law the surrender by the Convocation two years before of its legislative powers, in the act of so doing it also adopted the language